Hiring a Wedding Planner vs. Doing it Yourself

You burst into tears at the drop of a hat. And you’ve lost 5 pounds because you’re so stressed out and frazzled. You and your partner are getting snippy with each other and arguing about nothing important because you’re both feeling exhausted. You just want *the* day to be over with. Wedding planning is stressful! There are a multitude of decisions that have to be made throughout your wedding planning journey. You might already feel overwhelmed about how to start planning your wedding. You’re thinking about the venue and the invites and the catering and the (fill in the blank).

I get it because I’ve been there.

Planning a wedding on your own is no easy task but it is doable! However, the more help you can get during the process, the better, because it can be a draining experience if you have no idea how to manage your time and all of the different details that planning a wedding requires. In this post, it’s my mission to educate you on the benefits of hiring a wedding planner vs. doing it yourself.

What’s next is determining whether or not hiring a wedding planner is worth it vs. doing it yourself to save the money. It’s true that you can do it on your own, but you don’t have to!

Hiring a Wedding Planner vs. Doing it Yourself

Wedding Photography by Wayfaring Wanderer | Boone Photographer

DIY WEDDING PLANNING IS DOABLE BUT YOU STILL NEED HELP

The alternative to hiring a professional wedding planner is to do all of it on your own and/or ask a friend or family member that is highly organized to assist with certain aspects of the planning process, especially coordinating the day-of events. The last thing you want to do is worry about all of the logistics on your wedding day. That will most certainly cause stress that you don’t need!

Now, they don’t make all of the decisions for you, of course, but hiring a wedding planner or asking a friend or family member to help along the way is something you won’t regret if you get the right person/team. It’s entirely possible to plan your own wedding from start to finish, but you’ll still need to designate a day-of coordinator or point-person that you can count on to handle all the timing and other issues that may arise once your wedding day arrives.

A friend or family member can help with coordinating some details but they won’t have as much experience with how to layout a wedding day timeline which is crucial. Weddings involve so many moving parts that those with less experience won’t even know consider. Professional wedding planners can create a timeline for you that will ensure everything flows as flawlessly as possible on your big day.

As a Boone wedding photographer that has seen it all, I believe that the couple shouldn’t be putting out fires on their wedding day; they should be relaxing and enjoying themselves.Seriously. Don’t you agree? Let someone else take care of the day-of details (at the very least) so that your wedding day runs smoothly and you don’t have to worry about a thing except for getting married!

WEDDING PLANNERS CAN HELP GUIDE YOU

Having a professional on your team that has experience planning a wedding is worth its weight in gold and I’ll tell you why. They can help guide you through the process so that it’s a lot less stressful because they have a system in place after doing it repeatedly. How many weddings have you planned?

Managing multiple events requires a degree of creativity that not everyone possesses. How organized are you? Can you handle a plethora of tasks all at once and remember to follow-up? Do you have a full-time job? Wedding planning is not always fun and it requires a lot of time and effort and it can take over your life if you’re not careful!

You don’t necessarily have to have a type-A personality to get the job done, but it helps if you can keep track of everything and hold yourself accountable. If that’s not something you excel at, then hiring a wedding planner might be the best solution for you! A friend or family member could be great at planning baby showers or dinner parties but planning a wedding is another story.

Wedding Photography by Wayfaring Wanderer | Boone Photographer

WEDDING PLANNERS HAVE CONNECTIONS & WISDOM

Not only do they keep all the details together, wedding planners can assist you with choosing the right vendors to accomplish what you envision. Planners have built relationships with other wedding vendors so they know who is reliable and offers great service!

If you’re planning a destination wedding, having a person that is local will be key in helping you navigate all the options available. While it might be tempting to do all of the research to find vendors on your own, just think about how many hours a planner can save you by steering you in the right direction. Ultimately, you still get to make your own decisions but those choices are much easier when you have help.

A benefit of having someone that is experienced by your side is that wedding planners know the important questions to ask, things you might forget or not be aware of. They are knowledgeable when it comes to contracts, meeting schedules, and other parts of the process. A friend or family member will likely not have the same connections and/or wisdom when it comes to planning a wedding.

WEDDING PLANNERS CAN SAVE YOU TIME AND MONEY

Yes, hiring a wedding planning is another line item on your wedding budget, but planners are also helpful in keeping you within budget because they are familiar with the cost of services. Do you know how much a bouquet with your favorite flowers should cost? Or how much alcohol you need per person?What about that gorgeous 3-tiered naked cake that you pinned on Pinterest?

An added bonus is that they can oftentimes help you save money, too, since they know what to expect and anticipate. Due to some of the relationships they have built in the wedding industry they can find vendors that may be able to work within your budget. A professional planner can also offer suggestions and ideas on how to achieve your wedding wishes to fit your needs/wants and your bank account.

After doing a number of events they’ve had to solve a slew of challenges over the years so they are awesome problem solvers. This can help you save time (and money) in the long run! A friend or family member might not be familiar with how much an officiant costs or whether or not the price you were quoted per head for catering is comparable to what other vendors in the area charge for what you want, but a wedding planner will be.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Next up in the “How To Start Planning Your Wedding“ series is “How to Prioritize Your Wedding Budget” and it will focus on one of the most stressful parts of the wedding planning process. You’ll also get another set of worksheets as a freebie to assist you with this! My mission is to help educate you on how to set a wedding budget based on what’s most important to you and your partner! Subscribe to the Weekly Wander so you don’t miss any fresh content from the new series.

HOMEWORK: DECIDE TO HIRE OR DIY

In the meantime, conduct a search for wedding planners in your area using Google search. Find 3-5 wedding planners that you can reach out to after researching their websites & social media accounts. If you think they might be a good fit, send them an email to see if they are available and to start a conversation. Don’t automatically assume that you can’t afford them. TIP: See if the venue you’ve chosen offers coordinating services. This may be an add-on option. If not, they may have a preferred vendors list that they could provide you with as a starting point if they don’t do in-house planning.

If you’ve reviewed your options and talked to a handful of planners and it’s still not in the budget to hire a professional planner, make a short-list of close family and friends that you can approach about assisting you with coordinating on the day of your wedding. You want someone that will be there to ensure that the timing of each part of the day happens on schedule, as well as someone who will have the authority to handle any issues as they arise so you can rest easy knowing that things are taken care of. Keep in mind, this person will likely not be able to enjoy the wedding day like your other guests will since they’ll have their hands full.

Download the FREE printable “Wedding Planner Interview” worksheets if you’re thinking about hiring a professional. It has a number of questions that you’ll want to know the answers to when you talk to or meet with a candidate that you’re considering. Click on the images below to download the worksheets and then click on view full size.

If you’re planning on doing it yourself, you will definitely want to grab a copy of my FREE printable 12-Month Wedding Planning Checklist (details below worksheets). This checklist will help give you an overview of everything that will need your attention during the wedding planning process. It includes hundreds of items to help keep you organized!

DOWNLOAD A FREE 12-MONTH WEDDING PLANNING CHECKLIST WHEN YOU JOIN THE TRIBE!

It’s a free gift when you sign up for weekly emails from me (your adventurous ally). Once you become part of the tribe and are subscribed to the Weekly Wander, you will automatically receive a download link to the printable wedding planner in a welcome email! Click the image below OR sign uphere!

My name is Jessica and I’m a wedding, engagement and lifestyle photographer based in Boone, NC. I’m known for capturing the spirit of the folks I photograph–the expressions, gestures, and details that are outward expressions of our innermost selves. I love working with couples, individuals and families who are committed to travel, adventure, and laid-back lifestyles. If you think we might be kindreds, I invite you to connect with me!